Favorite Musical Artists: Bruce Springsteen

I guess in some ways it’s appropriate that I post this just a few days after The Boss announced the upcoming release of his 19^th studio album, and dropped its first “single”, “Hello Sunshine”. I like the song, but it’s not nearly as upbeat as the title might suggest. Rich Russo played it on his syndicated radio show this weekend, immediately followed by the Beatles’ “Good Day Sunshine”, and the contrast was pretty striking. (What it REALLY reminds me of is Danny O’Keefe’s 1972 hit “Goodtime Charlie’s Got The Blues.”)

 

Although I do own all 18 of Bruce’s previous studio recordings, plus some (but not all) of his live and/or previously-unreleased stuff (yes, I have the four-disc Tracks set), I’ve been a relative slacker compared to the true diehards in terms of seeing him live, with a modest total of five shows to my credit:

 

October 20, 1974 – Dickinson College (Carlisle PA)

November 11, 2007 – Verizon Center

September 14, 2012 – Nationals Park

April 20, 2016 – Royal Farms Arena (Baltimore)

September 1, 2016 – Nationals Park

 

I decided to see if I could find out a little more about Jon Landau’s legendary “rock and roll future” comment. A slightly longer excerpt is below; you can find the entire (lengthy) column from which it was taken here.

 

But tonight there is someone I can write of the way I used to write, without reservations of any kind. Last Thursday, at the Harvard Square theatre, I saw my rock'n'roll past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else: I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.

 

Favorite songs:

 

Thunder Road

Jungleland

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Hungry Heart

The Price You Pay

 

My City Of Ruins

Jersey Girl

4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Dancing In The Dark

Darkness On The Edge Of Town

 

Blinded By The Light

Stolen Car

Born To Run

Pink Cadillac

Shut Out The Light

 

Kitty's Back

The Promised Land

Spirit In The Night

Wrecking Ball

One Step Up

 

And of course there’s his classic cover of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”

 

April 28, 2019 – Nats 7, Padres 6 (11 innings) – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/padres-vs-nationals/2019/04/28/565908#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565908

 

Weather: 70 degrees, Sunny.

Wind: 6 mph, Out To CF.

Umpires: HP--West, 1B--Cooper, 2B--Fletcher, 3B--Little.

Time: 4:03

Attendance: 30,186

 

To put it kindly, things did not start out well for the home team this afternoon.

 

Noted San Diego “slugger” Greg Garcia homered off Nats starter Jeremy Hellickson in the top of the first, and the visitors pushed across another run an inning later. Things really went south in the 3^rd: infield single, error, RBI single, 3-run 1-out homer by Eric Hosmer.

 

With a 6-0 deficit and an overworked bullpen, the initial plan seemed to be to let Hellickson absorb a few more innings, so he was allowed to hit for himself to lead off the bottom of the 3^rd. After Robles beat out an infield single (the Nats successfully challenged the initial “out” call) and Dozier singled, Juan Soto changed the course of the game with a 3-run shot to center. Washington pushed across another run and loaded the bases with 2 out, leading Davey to pinch-hit Adam Eaton (who struck out) for Hellickson the second time around.

 

With Hellickson now gone after just three innings, the Nats turned to Erick Fedde, who had been called up earlier in the day for just this sort of emergency. He more than rose to the occasion, pitching four scoreless frames while facing only one batter over the minimum.

 

Meanwhile, Washington completed its comeback on solo HRs by Robles in the 4^th and the recently-promoted Carter Kieboom in the 5^th, making MLB history along with Soto as the only trio of teammates under 22 years old to all homer in the same game.

 

With men on first and second and one out in the bottom of the 7^th, Martinez rolled the dice by pinch-hitting for Fedde, who had thrown only 49 pitches, far fewer than the 88 he tossed in his minor-league start 5 days earlier. Unfortunately, Yan Gomes and Robles fanned to end the inning, meaning that the Nats weary (and largely ineffective) bullpen guys would have to cover the rest of the game.

 

Kyle Barraclough, Joe Ross, and Tony Sipp kept the visitors off the board for the next 3 innings, although Ross had to retire Manny Machado with the bases loaded and 2 outs. Washington missed a great scoring chance in the bottom of the 10^th, when their first two batters reached base and the Padres were forced into a makeshift defensive alignment after shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. had to exit due to injury. San Diego reliever Matt Wisler, however, retired the next 3 Washington batters to keep the game going into the 11^th.

 

Fortunately, there would be a happy ending, as Justin Miller retired the side in the top of the inning, and Matt Adams led off with a massive homer to right field to send what remained of the crowd home happy.

 

A cluster of dark clouds passed ominously over the field in the middle innings, but there was no rain, and much more sun that we had expected. For the last several innings, the wind was blowing hard from left to right, knocking down several fly balls hit to left and almost blowing Adams’ game-winning shot into foul territory.

April 17, 2019 – Cubs 6, Marlins 0 – Marlins Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-marlins/2019/04/17/567371#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=567371

 

Weather: 80 degrees, Partly Cloudy.

Wind: 10 mph, L To R.

Umpires: HP--Ripperger, 1B--Kellogg, 2B--O'Nora, 3B--Hoye.

Time: 2:25

Attendance: 10,247

 

Section 15, Row 12, Seat 14 – 8 rows farther back than last night, just to the left of home plate

 

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was …

 

Cubs take an early lead, check. Scoreless drought for both teams in the middle innings, got it. Another Javy Baez homer in the top of the 8^th, you bet. And I go oh-for-Miami in terms of the home team scoring a run.

 

There were a few differences. For one, this time the Cubs more or less broke the game wide open with a 4-spot in the 3^rd off Sandy Alcantara, which started innocently enough with 2 outs and Kris Bryant on second.

 

Meanwhile, the Marlins went down 1-2-3 in six of their nine at-bats. Jorge Alfaro’s second-inning single was the home team’s only runner in the first 6 innings off Cole Hamels; he was promptly erased on a double play. They did mount a one-out rally in the 7^th, with singles by Martin Prado and Alfaro sandwiched around a Bryant error. Things got more interesting when Hamels fell behind 3-0 to Starlin Castro, but he recovered to fan Castro and then retire Miguel Rojas.

 

I’d certainly recommend the pulled pork sandwich at La Pepa (one of two stands curated by José Andrés), a reasonable ballpark buy at $12. Having 25% more people Cubs fans meant that the in-game lines were longer than Tuesday, so I went to the La Familia stand out in the right field (shorter lines) to get my $3 Nathan’s hot dog after the fifth inning.

April 16, 2019 – Cubs 4, Marlins 0 – Marlins Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-marlins/2019/04/16/567370#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=567370

 

Weather: 77 degrees, Partly Cloudy.

Wind: 12 mph, L To R.

Umpires: HP--Hoye, 1B--Ripperger, 2B--Kellogg, 3B--O'Nora.

Time: 2:49

Attendance: 8,137

 

Section 20, Row 4, Seat 1 – lower level, 4 rows in back of the “premium” field-level seating, halfway down the third base line.

 

The game brought to mind the image of a boa constrictor swallowing a small furry animal (perhaps because I spent a few hours earlier in the day at the Miami Zoo). The visitors notched single runs in the 3^rd and 4^th, and tacked on insurance runs off the Miami bullpen in each of the last two innings – most notably on a long 8^th-inning homer by Javy Baez, who seemed to have most of his fan club sitting a few rows behind me.

 

Meanwhile, the Marlins didn’t threaten Cubs starter Jose Quintana, as the only runner to reach second base in his 7+ innings of work was left-fielder Austin Dean, who doubled with 2 outs in the 7^th. They did generate some momentary excitement in the bottom of the 8^th when, with 2 out and 2 on, catcher Jorge Alfaro crushed a long fly to center field that Albert Almora caught just in front of the 407-foot sign. In terms of results, their high point probably came in the top of the 5^th, when right-fielder Isaac Galloway nailed Daniel Descalso attempting to advance to third on Kris Bryant’s fly out.

 

I drove to the park, since neither staying within walking distance nor taking public transit seemed like a particularly attractive option. It wound up being 15-20 minutes each way, with a couple tricky spots but no real difficulties, although the initial parking lot I had targeted turned out to be prepaid-only. The park is a lot better than the team, especially in terms of its concession offerings – more Latino items than I could possibly try in two days. Of particular note is their new “3o5” menu: $3 hot dogs! $3 pretzels, sodas, and bottles of water!! $5 for a pair of large, meat-filled mojo pork tacos!!! (Washington Nationals, please take note.) The in-game lines at one of the two stands offering the bargain menu were a little long, but moved quickly.

 

The informational displays were also quite good. The large main scoreboard included the batter’s picture and info, the full lineup of the team that’s batting (with uniform numbers but not positions), and (for the team on defense) a diagram of who’s playing what position and a list of the three batters due up next. A smaller video screen down the left field line provided some trivia about the current Miami batter or pitcher, and showed replays in sync with the main board. A pair of horizontal auxiliary boards in left-center and right-center displayed a set of running in-game information for each current pitcher, including total number of balls, strikes, and pitches thrown. They also showed who was warming up in the bullpen (or, in a first for me, the number of challenges left if no one was warming).

While Nationals Park has a large dedicated area for showing out-of-town scores, including base runners and number of outs, the Marlins have a smaller area along the left-center wall that rotates games four at a time, showing score and inning only. Interestingly enough, while the Nats show scores during innings but replace them with ads between innings, Miami does the opposite, which I actually prefer.

 

And of course, when playing a team such as the Cubs with a national following, the atmosphere is kind of … backwards. If you’re out on the concourse and hear a burst of loud cheers, it’s probably NOT good news for the home team. (Incidentally, the in-game radio broadcast was clearly audible in the men’s room, but not so much in the concourse itself, although there were plenty of TV monitors.)

April 14, 2019 – Pirates 4, Nats 3 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/pirates-vs-nationals/2019/04/14/565902#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565902

 

Weather: 73 degrees, Cloudy.

Wind: 10 mph, Out To LF.

Umpires: HP--Danley, 1B--Carlson, 2B--Barry, 3B--Lentz.

Time: 2:47

Attendance: 22,347

 

Both starting pitchers got off to a slow start this afternoon. The Pirates jumped on Scherzer in the first on a two-out RBI double by Josh Bell, followed by Colin Moran’s run-scoring single. The Nats got one back when Eaton led off with a single, stole second, and immediately scored on Howie Kendrick’s RBI double, although they were unable to get Kendrick home. In the third, the visitors threatened to duplicate their 2-run first, but this time after Bell’s double, Michael A. Taylor gunned him down at the plate on Moran’s single, limiting the damage to one run. The Nats got the better of things in the bottom of the frame; after Eaton walked and Kendrick singled him to third, Rendon drove in the former on a grounder, and Soto singled home the latter to tie things up at 3.

 

Things quieted down in the middle of the game. The Bucs lifted starter Jameson Taillon after 6. Max hit for himself in the bottom of the 7^th (and singled), and pitched a scoreless 8^th despite an Adam Frazier double. Pittsburgh closer Felipe Vazquez (who went by Felipe Rivero when he was with the Nats) kept the home team off the board in the bottom of the inning.

 

With Doolittle unavailable for the 9^th after pitching the previous two days, Martinez brought in Wander Suero, who the previous day had become one of the few Nats this season to produce a damage-free 8^th inning. He promptly walked the leadoff batter, and then allowed a two-out double by Jason Martin to put Pittsburgh back in front.

 

After making the final out in the top of the inning, Vazquez came back out for the bottom of the 9^th. With nothing to lose, Davey rolled the dice and used Victor Robles to pinch-hit for Wilmer Difo, the only legitimate shortstop on the roster. Robles came through with a single to get things started. After Dozier fanned, the Nats made things even more interesting when Taylor worked a walk and Eaton laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Vazquez ultimately prevailed against his former team, however, fanning Kendrick and retiring Rendon on a fly to center to seal the win.

April 12, 2019 – Pirates 6, Nats 3 (10 innings) – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/pirates-vs-nationals/2019/04/12/565900#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565900

 

Weather: 67 degrees, Overcast.

Wind: 8 mph, R To L.

Umpires: HP--Barry, 1B--Lentz, 2B--Danley, 3B--Carlson.

Time: 3:28

Attendance: 27,084

 

Section 419, Row M, Seats 1-2 – top level, next to top row, just beyond 1^st base

 

Patrick Corbin pitched like a champ for the Nats, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk in his 7 innings while fanning 11. He also helped himself with 2 singles at the plate, including a game-tying RBI hit with 2 outs in the bottom of the 2^nd. The ridiculously hot Anthony Rendon homered the next inning to give the home team a 2-1 lead.

 

And then it happened. Again.

 

Tony Sipp replaces Patrick Corbin to start the 8^th.

Erik Gonzalez singles.

Francisco Cervelli flies out.

Adam Frazier singles. (This sends Gonzalez to third, and Frazier reaches second when Eaton misses the cutoff man.)

Kyle Barraclough replaces Tony Sipp.

Starling Marte singles, scoring Gonzalez and Frazier. 3-2 Pirates.

 

Rendon homered (again!) in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, and neither team scored in the 9^th.

 

Matt Grace replaces Sean Doolittle to start the 10^th.

Melky Cabrera doubles.

Adam Frazier is safe at first when Grace makes a bad throw on his sac bunt.

Justin Miller replaces Matt Grace.

Starling Marte grounds out.

Pinch-hitter Colin Moran homers to right-center. 6-3 Pirates.

 

Jayson Stark tweeted the following Saturday afternoon:

Runs allowed by the #Nationals from the 7^th inning on: 35.

Runs allowed by the #Rays in all the innings combined: 33.

 

Enough said.

 

Although the tarp was on when we arrived (early, so we could get our Juan Soto bobbleheads), the game started on time and didn’t require any delays, although there were a few periods of relatively light rain. (We stayed comfortably dry in our overhang-protected seats.)

“Old Town Road” and “Uptown Funk”

https://slate.com/culture/2019/04/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-billboard-country-charts-hot-100.html

 

If you really want to know what’s going on with the controversy over Billboard magazine’s treatment of “Old Town Road”, this is THE deep-dive article to check out. (Warning – it takes a lot longer to read the article than to listen to the song.)

Average White Band – Rams Head on Stage, 4/11/2019

Table 100, Row A, Seat 3 – front row of tables, at the left side of the stage. Somewhat surprisingly, only 3 of the 6 seats were occupied, although it was a large crowd overall.

 

 

Cranky? Irritable? Just generally out of sorts? Just take 90 minutes of AWB. Repeat as often as necessary.

 

Seriously, this show just reinforces my impression from two years ago that this is one of the best live bands around today. Great solos by the entire crew, stunning soul vocals by Brent Carter, great crowd rapport. The audience seemed more diverse than I remember from last time, and had a high energy level throughout. “A Love Of Your Own” continues to be a show-shopper, although there really wasn’t a weak spot in the entire evening. The couple I sat with mentioned that they come to see them every year; I may have to join them in that.

 

Highlights: setlist 

March 31, 2019 – Nats 6, Mets 5 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-nationals/2019/03/31/565897#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565897

 

Weather: 55 degrees, Cloudy.

Wind: 16 mph, In From LF.

Umpires: HP--Torres, 1B--Conroy, 2B--Miller, 3B--Eddings.

Time: 3:15

Attendance: 23,430

 

Section 313, Row E, Seats 18-19 – our new “home away from home” for the season. Directly behind home plate, on the aisle, one row from the top of the section.

 

Although Washington’s bullpen was ineffective for a third straight game, the Nats managed to pull this one out, avoiding a season-opening sweep at the hands of their division rivals. Patrick Corbin kept things under control in his first start for the team, allowing plenty of baserunners and failing to record a single 1-2-3 inning, but giving up only 2 runs in his 6 innings of work. Washington got on the board in a big way in the bottom of the third on a 3-run Trea Turner homer, following a Robles double and an Eaton single. They added a run in the 5^th on a 2-out Rendon RBI single, and one more 2-out run the next inning on Robles’ second double of the game.

 

As was the case Saturday, the Washington bullpen started off well, with Justin Miller retiring the Mets in order in the seventh. Recently-signed LOOGY Tony Sipp allowed singles to both left-handed hitters he faced in the 8^th, while getting out the right-handed J.D. Davis in between. He was replaced by Trevor Rosenthal, who failed to retire any of the four batters he faced the previous day and continued his streak by giving up a single to Amed Rosario on his first (and last) pitch of the afternoon. Normally-reliable closer Sean Doolittle entered and fanned Jeff McNeil for the second out, but former Nat Wilson Ramos and Juan Lagares then notched consecutive hits to tie the game. The score remained tied for the next two half-innings, but Trea hit his second homer of the afternoon with one out in the 9^th for the walk-off win, earning himself a Gatorade shower on a chilly afternoon for his trouble.

 

Leaving Rockville at 10:00 and getting to the Nationals neighborhood around 10:45 turned out to be not quite early enough to claim parking in our usual area, so we circled back to the Lot-Formerly-Known-As-HH, which wound up costing $15 rather than $10 as in the past. It may have actually been windier than Monday’s exhibition game, but it was sunny and perhaps a bit warmer.

Favorite Musical Artists: Del Amitri

I did a rather lengthy write-up of this wonderful, if relatively little-known, Scottish band previously, so I won’t repeat it here. (They’re also pretty great live.) Going back and listening to some of their material again, I was struck by the endings of several of their songs. “Be My Downfall” keeps the suspense going throughout the song – will he stay or will he go? “Always The Last To Know” contains a surprise twist at the end, while “Nothing Ever Happens” features, almost as a throwaway, an ominous pair of lines that not only re-color the rest of the song but remain relevant 30 years later. They also have an endearing habit of tossing in British expressions (car park, chat show, matchlight) that are seldom heard on this side of the pond.

 

Favorite songs:

Driving With The Brakes On 

Always The Last To Know

Be My Downfall

Roll To Me

In The Frame
 

Some Other Sucker's Parade

Nothing Ever Happens

Before The Evening Steals The Afternoon

Kiss This Thing Goodbye

Not Where It's At
 

Spit In The Rain

Sleep Instead Of Teardrops

Move Away Jimmy Blue

When You Were Young

Just Before You Leave
 

The First Rule Of Love

Out Falls The Past

Hatful Of Rain

In The Meantime

Long Journey Home